Quick Fallback

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Yesterday was, as they say, one of those days. Problems with my laptop made a mess out of most of my plans for the afternoon. It was one of those times when I really didn't want to spend too much time trying to decide what I wanted to have for lunch at work.

So, I went with the fallback option -- getting something from Oriental House. This time, it was the Hong Kong chicken lunch special. I wasn't in the mood to try something different, and the Hong Kong chicken is familiar enough to be a good choice.

I was wondering this time if the fortune in the fortune cookie would have something to say in regards to my computer problems. Not really, as it turned out. Here's what it said:

"To hear, you must listen with your ears, and not your eyes."

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A Kiss Of Friendship

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I picked up another package of Baci chocolates recently. I really wish they were available in bags, just like Hershey Kisses or other similar chocolates. I would like to be able to have more than just a couple of bites on hand. (For all I know, Baci are packaged in bags, but if those bags aren't sold in my area, it doesn't do me much good, does it? But I digress . . . )

I managed to savor the blend of dark chocolate and hazelnuts as long as I could. And of course, there was the matter of very carefully unwrapping the chocolates, so as not to damage the love notes inside. The notes in both of these chocolates were attributed to that well-known writer "Anonymous." At least, I'm guessing that "Anonimo" translates to that. Anyway, here they are:

"Friendship brings great happiness with little gestures."
"Real friendship can be enjoyed in silence."

I suppose it was purely random chance that these two similarly themed notes ended up in the same box. Or maybe it was just one of those occasional bits of serendipity.

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Make That Messages, Messages

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I have had the material for this entry for a couple of weeks now. Not long after I wrote my last entry about the messages I found in Dove Promises, I had a few more. And of course, I saved the foil wrappers, with their messages on the inside.

I have been carrying the messages around with me since then. I seem to have been waiting for the right time to write about them, and I finally decided that there is no time like the present.

I had several repeats in this batch. In fact, I think there may have been more repeats this time around. But I did find three messages for the first time. And as always, I present them to you in alphabetical order:

"Do something spontaneous."
"Listen with your heart."
"Share a sunset."

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Abandoned Fortune

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It was toward the end of the night at work last night, and I was starting to clean things up. As I was sweeping, I noticed a familiar strip of paper on the lottery station. It was a fortune from a fortune cookie.

Actually, I'm surprised that I don't see this more often. After all, there is a Chinese restaurant right next door.

I am making a couple of assumptions about this fortune. First, I'm guessing that it came from Oriental House. Second, I'm guessing that the diner had decided to play the lottery using the "lucky numbers" on the back of the fortune. (In both cases, these fall into the category of "most likely scenario," but I have no way of knowing for certain.)

I'm not certain why someone would have left the fortune behind. Perhaps that someone felt that they no longer needed the fortune. In any case, here is what the fortune said:

"Your dream must be bigger than your fear."

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He Got The Cookie; I Got The Fortune

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When I started work yesterday afternoon, I noticed that the coworker for whom I was taking over had picked up Chinese takeout for lunch. (I'm guessing it was from Oriental House, but I didn't ask.) As I put a couple of things of mine on the counter, I noticed the fortune cookie, and I moved it out of the way so it wouldn't get crushed.

About 20 minutes or so before he left, my coworker finally unwrapped the cookie and cracked it open. I mentioned that I collected fortunes, and asked him if I could have it if he wasn't going to keep it. He said sure, and gave it to me after reading the fortune and pondering its meaning for several minutes:

"Your wisdom will influence others."

He thought that this was a good fortune, but he didn't elaborate on his musing. I will admit, it does have something of a nice ring to it.

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Okay, But It Still Tastes Good

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Chop suey is not authentically Chinese.

To the best of my knowledge, I was 11 or 12 the first time I read that little bit of information. It was mentioned in a book titled The Year Of The Jeep. The book also mentioned that chop suey was created in America by Chinese immigrants, but that was probably the extent of the information given on the subject. (It was more an incidental bit of information than anything else.)

I've been reading about chop suey more recently in Jennifer 8. Lee's book The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, and on Wikipedia's entry on the subject. Ms. Lee's book tells quite a few interesting stories about chop suey and its origins, but the only thing that can be said with any certainty is . . . that chop suey is not authentically Chinese, and that it was created in America by Chinese immigrants.

For one reason or another, I don't think I had ever had chop suey until last night. After taking a break from eating Chinese takeout at work for a few weeks, I was in the mood for it again. And the schedule had me coming in early enough that Oriental House was my best option. As I looked over the takeout menu, I glanced at the chop suey section, and said to myself, "Why not?"

I went with the beef chop suey -- or as it was listed on the menu, "sirloin of beef." When my order was brought out, it smelled wonderful.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to eat it for a couple of hours. Surprisingly, it was still somewhat warm once I did get a chance to eat.

And the food tasted as good as it smelled when it was brought to me. Strips of beef cooked together with a variety of vegetables in brown sauce. Those included mushrooms (nice big chunks!), sliced water chestnuts, bean sprouts, celery, and cabbage. It was served with white rice.

I made one slight mistake this time. I ate too much of the rice first, and as a result, there wasn't enough to mix with the leftover sauce once I was finished. I won't make that mistake again.

And of course, I had a fortune cookie with my meal, with the following fortune:

"Silence is the great teacher, and to learn its lessons you must pay attention to it."

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Promises, Promises

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I indulged in a few Dove Promises the past few days. After my initial encounter, I knew to unwrap the chocolates carefully, so I could read the messages printed on the other side of the foil wrapper.

One of them was a repeat from that initial encounter -- "Trust with your heart, not your head." This leads me to believe that the people at Dove may not have a great variety of messages. I'll have to pay closer attention during future samplings of Dove Promises. I can easily foresee unwrapping five to eight Promises, and finding only one with a message I hadn't used before. I may even need to keep a list.

In any event, I did have three new messages in this particular batch. Here they are, in alphabetical order:

"Be a little mysterious."
"Chocolate. Always your Valentine."
"Discover how much your heart can hold."

Okay, I can really relate to the second one.

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I KNEW There Were Four!

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The last time I posted a Linda Collection entry, it had three fortunes. And as I said at the end of the entry, I could have sworn that I had pulled four fortune cookies out of the Ziploc bag.

As it turns out, I was right. I did grab four fortune cookies.

When I dropped the other fortune cookies in my backpack, this one bounced off and apparently landed in the box of stuff next to where I usually put my backpack. And last night, I found the cookie on floor adjacent to the box and my backpack, when it apparently fell off the box. I still don't know how I didn't notice the cookie during that time.

It's nice to know that my mind wasn't playing tricks on me. And here is what the fortune from that cookie said:

"It tastes sweet."

Okay, to borrow a line from Buffy Summers, do you think you can vague that one up a little more?

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Internet, Iced Tea, And Egg Fu Young

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Yesterday, I went by Lemongrass Cafe for takeout. The shrimp egg fu young lunch special, to be precise.

I didn't go from there to work, though. It was still at least a couple of hours before my shift started. Instead, I went a couple of blocks down the road to Heine Brothers Coffee. I got a large cup of iced tea, set up my laptop, and connected to their wifi network.

It made for a pleasant combination. The egg fu young was delicious, Heine Brothers serves a refreshing iced tea, and being able to eat and drink while surfing the Internet is something I'm unable to do at the library.

And I did get a fortune cookie. Ideally, I would have posted this entry yesterday, but by the time I started thinking about writing it, I realized that I needed to get to work. So, the opening of the cookie (and the revelation of the fortune inside) was left for today:

"Success is in the details."

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Linda Collection 5

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As you might have guessed, recently, I have been going with something other than Chinese to eat while I'm at work. (It seems to be mostly Qdoba and Taco Bell, but that's not the point.) And since I haven't posted anything recently, I thought it was time for another Linda Collection.

Of course, sooner or later I'm going to run out of the big bag of fortune cookies that she gave me. I'm not sure what I'll be doing for filler once that happens. I still have material for at least two or three more entries.

In any case, here are the latest batch that I pulled out of the bag (in alphabetical order, of course):

"He who seeks will find."
"Your ingenuity and imagination will get results."
"Your talents will be recognized and suitably rewarded."

I could have sworn that I pulled four fortune cookies out of the bag, though.

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Forgotten And Found

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I had just arrived at work Monday evening. I got there about 30 minutes early, mainly so I could eat before clocking in. (As I discovered, that was a smart decision. It turned out to be one of those nights.)

As I was getting settled, I happened to look over to a spot along the wall where some boxes had been stacked a few days earlier. They had been moved, and in the empty space on the floor, I spotted it -- the fortune from a fortune cookie.

I have the feeling that it had probably gone unnoticed since it had been taken out of a fortune cookie some unknown time previously. I probably would have been the only one to notice that little slip of paper, just because I collect these things.

More than likely, it came from Oriental House. That is the most likely source, anyway, and I tend to resort to Occam's Razor. Anyway, here is what that fortune said:

"The cure for grief is motion."

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Sandwiching Fortunes

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A couple of weeks ago, I was running a few errands before the monthly meeting of my local SF club. One of the last things I did on my way was to swing by China #1 to get some lunch.

I ordered one of the lunch specials, mainly because it was lunchtime, and it was the best value. This time, I ordered the shrimp egg fu yung.

When I got home, I decided to do a little experimentation. I grabbed a couple of slices of bread, and used one of the pieces of egg fu yung to make a St. Paul sandwich. I didn't add anything else at the time -- just the bread and the egg fu yung. I just wanted to get an idea a general idea of this sandwich.

Interesting concept, really. I'll have to keep this in mind the next time I order egg fu yung. I may have to get a little creative with what else to put in the sandwich.

My friend Linda had told me that China #1 was the place where she had acquired all of the fortune cookies that she had given me. I could see what she meant when I got home. When I opened the bag, I found three fortune cookies inside. Now, she may have needed only one fortune cookie per meal, but I don't mind if I get more than one.

Originally, I was going to write about this the following day. But I placed the fortune cookies where I would easily find them -- and, of course, I quickly and promptly managed to misplace them. It wasn't until earlier today that I rediscovered where I had placed them. And now, here are those fortunes:

"With integrity and consistency -- your credits are piling up."
"You display the wonderful traits of charm and courtesy."
"You have an important new business development shaping up."

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Wok Around The Clock

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Yesterday, I found myself in the mood for Chinese for dinner, and near a restaurant I hadn't tried before. The restaurant in question is King Wok, which is in St. Matthews. It's a little off the beaten path for me; I only discovered it a few months ago after The Zone moved to the same shopping center.

Well, I went by The Zone yesterday looking for a couple of comics. I realized that it would probably be a good idea to eat before I went to work, as opposed to trying to eat in between customers. (It turned out to be a smart choice.) I had been meaning to give King Wok a try, and I decided that now would be as good a time as any.

I went with my fallback -- a shrimp lo mein combination platter. As I think I've mentioned once or twice, you would have to really try to screw up shrimp lo mein.

They didn't screw it up. Plenty of shrimp. The combination platter came with fried rice and an egg roll. The fried rice had a little more onion in it than I prefer, but it was tolerable.

When I first looked, I didn't have a fortune cookie. I was eating at the restaurant, so I went back to the counter. When I asked the guy at the counter for a fortune cookie, he gave me two. Here is what the fortunes inside those cookies said:

"Go for the gold today! You'll be the champion of whatever."
"No job is so simple that it cannot be done wrong."

Hmmm . . . that first fortune sounds tailor made for John Scalzi.

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Overstuffed

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I went to #1 Asian Buffet in Mid-City Mall for dinner earlier this evening. I hadn't been there since I started this particular online journal last year. I think tonight's dinner may be a reminder why I haven't been there in so long.

I feel overstuffed. Uncomfortably so, as a matter of fact.

I don't think I ate more than I normally do at any Chinese buffet. But instead of that comfortable, satisfied feeling I usually have, right now it feels like I have a large lump of spent uranium in my stomach.

Oh, well, it will go away soon enough. And I did get a fortune cookie, with the following fortune:

"Spirit guides accompany you."

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Shrimp On The Run

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Yesterday, I made a quick stop by China 1. My stomach made that annoying gurgle and rumble that told me that it needed something right now, irrespective of what my plans for later dining might be.

I was in the mood for a light snack more than anything else, so I got a small order of shrimp lo mein. Something that would be quick and filling for at least a little while. And it did the trick.

Of course, packed along with the noodles and shrimp was a fortune cookie. Here's what the fortune said:

"It is very good karma to practice random acts of kindness."

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Million Dollar Fortune?

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I turned on the TV this morning, and I happened to catch part of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. I caught it just as a new contestant came on, and I wanted to see how well he would do, so I kept watching.

At one point, Meredith Viera was interviewing the contestant, and he mentioned that after he got the call from Millionaire that he was a contestant, he and some friends went to a Chinese restaurant to celebrate. And according to the contestant, this is what his fortune cookie said:

"You are going to come into a large sum of money."

Now, this makes for a good story, but part of me has to wonder if this guy was stretching the truth just a little. That's almost too big a coincidence. On the other hand, he is going to get at least a decent sum of money. When this particular episode ended, he had just answered (correctly) his 10th question, which guarantees him at least $25,000.

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Twice As Nice

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You may have noticed that I haven't posted anything for a little over a week. There is a simple reason for this. I have been going a variety of different places to grab lunch for work. I have been on something of a burrito kick recently. They have the advantage of being self-contained and (usually) not that messy, but Qdoba and Taco Bell don't give out fortune cookies.

Yesterday, though, I was near China 1 when I thought about getting something for lunch. It was early afternoon, and I ordered one of the lunch specials, shrimp with lobster sauce. I also got to work early enough where I could eat before clocking in. The food definitely tastes better when it's hot.

Lunch came with fried rice, and for once it wasn't overly oniony. Definite plus there.

I'm not quite sure what lobster sauce is, but it was pleasant. There were plenty of shrimp, along with peas and chunks of carrots. I usually mix whatever sauce remains after eating the entree with the rice, but this time, it seemed to be easier to do the blending beforehand, and eat everything together.

I also had a slight surprise at the end of the meal. I found two fortune cookies in with my meal. Here is what the fortunes said:

"There is no glory unless you put yourself on the line."
"You will soon take a very pleasant and successful trip."

That first one sounds like a fancier version of "No guts, no glory," doesn't it?

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Sandwich Without The Bread

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I made a stop by Lemongrass Cafe on my way to work yesterday to grab some takeout. This time, I decided to try something a little different, and went with the shrimp egg fu yung lunch special.

Now, as far as I can recall, I don't remember ever having egg fu yung before. I think what probably triggered my decision was a program I saw on KET last week. It was a program on regional sandwiches produced by WQED of Pittsburgh. One sandwich mentioned in the program was a local specialty in St. Louis called a "St. Paul Sandwich." (No, I don't know why it's called that.) This sandwich is a serving of egg fu yung slapped between two pieces of bread.

I don't live in St. Louis, but I think that part of the program got me curious enough to try egg fu yung. and as is the case with their other lunch specials, Lemongrass Cafe serves a generous portion. I know there was stuff in the egg fu yung besides just the shrimp, but unfortunately, I really couldn't tell what was in it. Well, I do know that there weren't any bell peppers.

I thoroughly enjoyed the egg fu yung, as well as the brown rice that came with the meal. And of course, there was the fortune cookie at the end of the meal. The fortune inside the cookie read as follows:

"It is the hope and dreams we have that make us great."

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Lemongrass Before Work

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I made a quick stop by Lemongrass Cafe about 30 minutes ago. I wasn't on my way to work -- that will be in a few hours. But I'm at a meeting at the St. Matthews/Eline library, and Lemongrass Cafe is only about two blocks away from the library.

I ordered the shrimp lo mein lunch special. While the food has always been enjoyable when I've had it at work, it was absolutely delicious when I was able to eat it while it was still hot.

And this was one time when I opened the fortune cookie with my meal, since I would be writing this entry right away. Here's what the fortune had to say:

"A thrilling time is in store for you."

I'm trying to decide if this is a good thing or not.

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Jumbo Lunch

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As often as I grab Chinese takeout for lunch at work, you might think that I would want to steer clear from any and all restaurants serving that cuisine on my day off. Well, you would be wrong.

I had lunch this afternoon at Jumbo Buffet. I was in the mood for sushi, especially when I realized that it had been several months since I had any. I would say that there are at least five Asian buffets that serve sushi that are within a reasonable distance from where I live. I also couldn't remember when the last time I ate at Jumbo Buffet, so it was as good a choice as any.

The sushi was good. I would have preferred more nigiri sushi choiices, but it might been a matter of timing. I might have been there when the restaurant thought people might want more maki sushi.

And I did make selections other than the sushi. I even picked a few things that I suspect are more inspired by American cuisine than any Asian cuisine. Things like green beans and corn. For the record, you can eat both with chopsticks. The green beans are quite easy to eat with chopsticks, albeit one at a time. The corn . . . takes a little more patience.

And with the bill, the server brought my fortune cookie. Here's what the fortune said:

"You have a friendly heart and are well admired."

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A Twin-Fortuned Cookie

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Yesterday, I grabbed takeout from China 1 on my way to work. I decided to go for something a little different, and I ordered the honey chicken combination. It's something they serve as one of their lunch specials, but as I mentioned the last time I ordered from China 1, those are unavailable after 3:00 PM, and it was almost 6:00 when I placed my order.

From what I can tell, the honey chicken is batter dipped chunks of chicken, sinilar to how chicken is prepared for sweet and sour chicken. It was served with some sort of honey sauce, which could be get on the overly sweet side if not handled correctly.

The meal also came with fried rice. The remaining sauce could have been a little on the too sweet side, but mixing it with some soy sauce and hot mustard cut the sweetness just a little.

The big surprise came with the fortune cookie. The cookie contained two fortunes -- rather like an egg that has two yolks, I suppose. I suppose it would have been strange if the two fortunes had been identical, but they were different. Fraternal rather than identical twins, you might say. And here is what those fortunes said:

"You are original and creative."
"You are talented in many ways."

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Linda Collection 4

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Since I haven't indulged in takeout for the past few days, I thought I would dive into the bag of fortune cookies that my friend Linda gave me. In other words, it's time for another Linda Collection.

I only grabbed three cookies out of the bag this time. Here are the fortunes, in alphabetical order:

"Do not be afraid of competition."
"There is no fear for the one whose thought is not confused."
"You have much skill in expressing yourself to be effective."

I would like to think that that last one applied to me.

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A Baci Is Just A Baci

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I finally unwrapped the other Baci in the package I got recently. Now, I have discovered that if you want to get the lovenote in readable condition, you need to unwrap the chocolate carefully. Of course, I had figured that out before I ever unwrapped my first Baci.

The note inside was in at least one other language that I hadn't seen previously. I recognize it as Greek, but again, I couldn't read anything other than the English version. Here's what it said:

"The more I love you the more you flee from me my darling."

This was attributed to a C. Baudelaire. Not recognizing who that might be, though.

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Sealed With A Baci

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A few entries back, I mentioned Perugina's Baci chocolates, and how each chocolate contains a lovenote inside the wrapper. At the time I wrote the entry, I mentioned that I hadn't tried a Baci, so I had no firsthand knowledge.

Well, that has changed. Not too long ago, I was in World Market, and was looking through the candy section when I noticed Baci on one of the shelves. Obviously, I grabbed a box right away.

The box contained only two chocolates. Not much more than a sample, but to tell the truth, that was all I really wanted at the moment. I just wanted to get an idea of both the candy and the notes.

The chocolate was delightful. A dark chocolate ganache with chopped hazelnuts, topped with a whole hazelnut and covered in dark chocolate.

What really interested me was the lovenote inside the blue and silver foil wrapper. It was printed on a slip of translucent paper. It had what I assume was the same message printed in several languages. Besides English (the only one I can read), it was also printed in what looks to be Italian, French, Spanish, and one other language. Here's the English message:

"We've spoken a lot about love. Now let's try to listen to it, shall we?"

I haven't seen what is inside the other chocolate yet. That's for another entry.

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Back To The Fortunes

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Most of last week, my lunchtime urges were satisfied by Jimmy John's, Subway, and Calistoga Artisan Sandwiches. All very satisfying, all very tasty . . . but unfortunately, none of those places put fortune cookies in with their sandwiches.

On my way to work Saturday, though, I decided that I wanted Chinese, and I went to China 1. (At the time, it was the closest place.) I decided on a a shrimp lo mein combination. Basically, it's the same as their lunch specials, except that China 1 only offers the lunch specials until 3:00 PM. And you guessed it, by the time I got there, it was after 3:00.

The combination was shrimp lo mein, pork fried rice, and an egg roll. As I have mentioned before, China 1's fried rice is a little heavier on the onion flavor than I usually prefer, but it wasn't too bad. It was tasty, it was filling, and that was the most important thing. I think I was even able to eat my meal in less than an hour.

Rounding out the meal was the fortune cookie. Here's what the fortune said:

"Your determination will bring you much success."

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